Abberation
by FloodFeSTeR
Summary: Madness, as you know, is a lot like gravity. All it takes, is a little push - - Serena Dursley is a very troubled young witch. When she attends Hogwarts, things don't really go as planned. Of course, when you're a bi-polar teenager hanging on the edge of Schizophrenia who has a history of going off her meds, making plans is a useless endeavor. - - Please review - -
1. Chapter 1

Never been one for praying, but now…now seemed like a good a time as any.

I don't expect you to do me any favors, especially after all of the times I cursed your name, spoke it in vain, doubted your existence…but can't you do him the favor? He can't pray to you, he doesn't believe in you either, but I'm coming around. He has better reasons than I do for doubting your existence. The past month has shown me some sort of light, that's why I guess…that's why I guess it's up to me to beg.

I swore I would never beg.

I swore I would never beg you for anything, thought I could handle the world on my own but perhaps my mother was right.

All of this was my fault anyway, if I would have listened to my parents, if I would have just…if I would have listened to them when they said I would only be greeted with hell. That was all I had experienced since I left home. If I would have listened, if I would have stayed in that house, if I wouldn't have followed Harry, I would be safe at home and I would have been spared the heartache that greeted me.

But, God, there were so many good times. The dance, the moonlight vigils, the astronomy meetings. You can't just let it end like this. You have to save him, you have to. If you…if you can't just save him, can you take me instead? I hate cliches, you know that better than anyone, but I just can't imagine a world with me and not him. Please, just do this for him. Not for me. Not for anyone else but him. He has so much more to live for, despite what he thinks. I'm tired of suffering anyway. He has no sufferings, he has no more grief to hold him back.

Save him.

Save him.

Please?

Amen…


	2. Chapter 2

_Harry Potter always had a hero. Even in the dark times, they were there, protecting him and making sure no true harm came to him. A silent observer in the abusive Dursley household. Her name was Serena. Second child to the Dursleys and a truly gifted witch._

* * *

Let's start with a beautiful cliché, shall we?

* * *

At exactly 12:30, on July 27, 1978, Petunia Dursley was attending a birthday party for their neighbors' daughter, Virginia.

It was a perfect day, in Petunia's mind, for a little girls' birthday party. The sun was high in the sky, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky and the temperature was in the early seventies. She had dressed in her prettiest sundress, with sunflowers basking in a background of violet. She had her fan in hand, waving away a bead of perspiration that was sliding down the long slope of her throat. She was smiling and discussing the next day's trip to the lake; it was supposed to be a group thing for the children and Petunia was one of the chaperones.

She was also enjoying watching one year old daughter, Serena, bouncing on the bench beside her. Her daughter sadly had the same eyes as her sister, Lily, but her curls were a much deeper red than anyone in the families. Despite the handicap of her eyes, Petunia thought her daughter was beautiful and perfect.

Until the…_unthinkable._

* * *

Petunia bumped the door to her small home open, listening in the doorway for any signs of life in the house and came to the quick conclusion that her husband, Vernon, was still out at work. She hummed, bouncing her daughter on her hip as she pushed the door shut and hung her keys up on the hooks beside the door. She hurried into the kitchen, opening the fridge to pull out a small canister of food for herself.

As Petunia set her daughter down on the couch, needing just a moment to heat up her own food before she started making Serena's, she left a normal baby behind. As soon as she hit the cold tiles of the kitchen floor, she heard the most peculiar sound: a cat's meow. Petunia's right foot hovered above a line of grout for a moment and then she pulled her leg back, turning around to the couch. There, where her precious daughter had sat, was a small Persian kitten. Its eyes were closed and its head was bobbing around, looking for a nipple to suckle on. Petunia's body hitched in fright and a hand flew up to her mouth as she gasped.

"Serena!"

* * *

Serena Dursley listened to the commotion going on downstairs in her home on 4 Pivet Drive.

She was propped up against her pillows, arms lying lethargically at her sides as she stared across to the empty wall. She would paint that next. She looked to the door when she heard a loud crash and almost thought of pushing herself out of the bed. The door was open so she almost had a front row seat, minus the picture, to the show going on downstairs. She could hear everything amplified by the hollow walk through the hallway and it made her ears sting.

"Look what you did! That was my mother's!"

"I-It was Dudley, I swear!"

"Insolent child, blaming my sweet little boy," Serena heard her mother scold him. "Shut your mouth and bring Serena her medicine. That's almost punishment enough."

Serena shook her head and looked to the cloudy sky out her window to the right. _That's almost punishment enough_. Serena knew what that meant. She knew what her parents thought of her, the daughter that was following in the same footsteps as her now deceased-estranged aunt, Lily Potter. As if the fact that they were mirror images of each other wasn't enough, Serena was a witch _and _an animagus. Her parents feared and loathed her, but they couldn't just ship her off. The neighbors already knew about her, they already loved the quiet, strange young woman living in the Dursley household. If they sent her away there would be questions that the Dursleys didn't need or want to answer due to their new found social standing.

Harry Potter was no exception to the rule.

The neighbors already knew him, met him, thought of him as a perfectly adorable young man with round bifocals. More questions, more pegs down the social ladder that would be forced down their throats.

So Petunia and Vernon simply grouped the two together; the two freaks, the two aliens, living in their home would just have to deal with each other.

Serena looked up when she heard a creak in the floorboards and saw the young Harry Potter – he was just eight years old as of today – shuffling in the doorway. He didn't have to say anything for Serena to understand, Harry was scared of her. She couldn't blame him, she scared herself sometimes. The only people she could act human around were the neighbors, other than that she would shut herself away for days and shuffle about in silence.

Bi-polar.

That's what the doctor had said, he had also said it would progress as she got older. She could become quite dangerous, even schizophrenic.

So the Dursley's forced medication down her throat, though she was only ten years old.

"Harry," she all but whispered. "Come in here, I don't bite," he looked up at her from over the rim of his glasses and swallowed thickly, shuffling into the room. "Oh," he stopped when she gasped. "Shut the door, will you? I don't need to hear their nasty comments anymore than you do."

He stared at her for a moment and then nodded, turning back around and pushing the oak slab shut before he hurried to her bedside. Serena watched him pluck out the correct medications, having done it already so many times before, and then she nodded once as a thank you. She took the medicine from his hand and then waited as he hurried off into her private bathroom for a glass of water. As soon as his toe hit the edge of her bed, Serena had taken the glass from Harry's hand and downed her medication, grimacing when a pill lingered too long on her tongue and the sour taste rubbed off.

As she passed the glass back to Harry, she smiled at him, resting her head against one of her giant pillows. "Stay up here with me, Harry."

He looked up at her. "Huh?"

She looked to her right and pat the empty space on her bed, smiling at him. "Stay up here with me, you can share my food later tonight. I know you don't want to go back down there."

"But my army men…"

"I can get mother to bring them," Serena chuckled. "She thinks I'll put a spell on her."

Harry's wide eyes conveyed so many questions. "Can you really do that?"

Serena waved a hand. "Oh goodness no," she sighed. "I'm tired, would you like to take a nap with me?"

He hesitated, looking to the door, and then he smiled at her, nodding fiercely. "Yeah!"

Serena grinned. "Well alright then, climb up here and I'll tell you one of the stories I learned from my old books."

He scrambled up the bedside and over her legs, settling under the covers carefully while she wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Serena and Harry were only two years apart in age, but Serena seemed to be wise beyond her years. In the years to come, she would be called an old soul on multiple occasions. Sometimes she would be called mother, care taker, best friend…curse, freak, alien, animal, loser. But nothing would take away that bond Serena and Harry formed, not even the dark days in the Dursleys or the dark days in the future could do such a thing.

At least, that's what Serena hoped as she stared out at the starry night sky, Harry curled against her side and mumbling in her sleep. As she stared at the night sky, listening to a cat calling to its mate outside her window, she was far off in her own world, her world of dreams. She could almost see herself in flight, straddling a piece of wood and then feathers. They dispersed around an older face, her older face, and she was so happy. Happier than she had been so far. She fell through feathers, through a burst of fire and spindly legs of spiders, through the hands of black cuffs and long, pointed gray fingers and landed on a craggy coast in the midst of candle light from a castle high over her head. Sirens songs and the singing voices of children from somewhere beyond thick rock walls, Serena was coming back to her room on the wings of an owl.

Serena's medication had worn off.

She looked to the door, hearing a new creak of the floorboards and she saw her younger brother, Dudley, staring at her in the most peculiar way.

"What is it, Dudley?"

He looked scared. "I had…I had a bad dream."

Serena smiled. "Seems this bed is going to bed crowded," she pat the space to her left. "Well come on then."

"But _he's _there," he scowled at Harry's puff of hair peaking over his sisters shoulder.

Serena looked down at Harry curiously and then to Dudley. "You won't be touching him," she waved a hand at him. "Now, if you can't get into mother and fathers room, you can come up here. If you don't want to, then you can go back to your room like a big boy."

Dudley didn't fight off her big sister routine, despite his parents protests, Dudley loved his sister. Even if she was strange. Even if she liked the Potter boy, who was such a freak in so many ways. He shut the door behind him quickly and hurried to her bedside, climbing up and into her side. He wrapped an arm around her, seeing as he was so close to the edge of the bed and he had to hold onto something so nothing came out from under the bed and drug him under. But he made sure he wasn't even close to touching Harry Potter. It was no easy task.

"Dudley," his sister whispered.

He opened his beady little eyes. "Huh?"

"Do you…do you think I'm crazy?"

His brow furrowed, listening to her echo the concern their parents had yelled at her. "No," he shrugged. "I think you're freaky, but not crazy."

"Well then that's ok."

This wasn't the first time Dudley and Serena had slept together, Dudley being still scared of things under the bed and all. They had talked a lot, of course they didn't have many things to talk about considering Dudley was only eight years old and Serena was not but ten. Serena wanted to talk about more mature things, the things she heard and saw behind her eyelids, but she wouldn't be able to talk to anyone until she started school the coming fall. She would be going to a special school for children like her; it was funded by the hospital she had to go to for regular checkups every two weeks. She would be able to talk to the other children about what she saw and compare it to the things they saw.

In truth, Serena felt as if she were alone even in her own home. Even with Harry, who was like her in more ways than they knew, she felt alone. With her brother Dudley, who still talked to her like a normal human being, she still felt alone. But at least she had people that still talked to her, still came near her besides when it was feeding time, like she was some animal.

Wait, Serena was an animal.

She could…she could change, become a cat. She wondered if she could stay that way, she wondered if she could just turn into a cat and never change. It wasn't the first time she had thought about it but it was the first time she truly considered making the change permanent.

But then Harry stirred against her side and Serena looked down at him. No, she couldn't leave Harry to deal with her parents on his own. Or Dudley. She loved her little brother, even if he was a spoiled brat sometimes.

* * *

_And yes, the part after Harry gets into bed with her is a part of Serena's dreams. _


	3. Chapter 3

_**9:37 p.m. – 4/25/14**_

_So I forgot to mention in the last chapter that I got the idea for this story from the new show Black Box and the beginning of this chapter – up until the first line – is mostly from the first episode in which the woman is talking to her therapist. I am sorry if there is any confusion with this chapter. Harry is portrayed as more childish when he is with Serena. We will delve into that reasoning later on.  
_

_Serena is two years older than Harry. She'll be in the correct year she is supposed to be but she will have the same schedule as Harry. It'll be explained later. This starts in the PoA – Prisoner of Azkaban._

* * *

"How would you define normal, Serena?"

The young red head looked out the window to her left, her facial expression blank. She had her right leg crossed over the left, her skirt riding up her thigh and revealing the top of her lacey leggings. Her hands were folded in her lap, long fingers interlocked and her right thumb rubbing circles on the ring nestled around her left ring finger. She looked to the woman seated across from her, green eyes large and conveying a deep torrent of confusion and other thoughts.

The woman, a therapist by the name of Veronica Holliman, straightened her back, clasping her hands together on the top of her desk. "Come on, Serena, you're a brilliant young woman, you can do this."

Serena stared at her, her lips parting as she took in a breath. "I don't know what normal means."

Veronica shook her head. "Come on, you can give me better than that."

Serena's eyes all but glazed over and she reached up, brushing back a strand of dark red hair. "Statistically normal means average."

"And a normal person is mediocre," Veronica hummed in a questioning tone.

"I didn't say that," Serena tugged at the hem of her skirt, pushing it downwards.

Veronica stared at the young woman sitting in front of her, eyes flickering around a face full of knowledge and secrets. "Let's talk about what happened Thursday," she muttered, pulling a slip of paper from the manila folder in front of her. She raised it up to Serena and then leaned back in her chair. "This is the message you left me: _I feel so fucking alive. I think I've nailed it, the reason to why I need these medications. I freaking nailed it. From the looks I'm getting, I think I could get every guy to want me…I already know one woman that passed might want to be me."_

Serena sighed. "Classic manic episode," she muttered. "Delusions of grandeur, heightened self-entitlement, hallucinations, distorted thoughts…"

"And…"

"A freakin rocket ride if you wanna know the truth," she leaned forward, eyes sparkling with memories of the days passed. "I have never had a better time in my life," she looked down, the light dying in her eyes. "Until," she leaned back against. "Drum roll…I nearly got myself killed."

"Nearly," Veronica said pointedly.

Serena stared upwards, not at anything in particular and then she looked down to her hands, the fingers playing against each other. "I am only fifteen years old," she looked up at Veronica from under her brow. "I shouldn't be _doing _the things I have," she picked a piece of lint from her skirt. "Drugs, thank God I haven't had sex."

"But its fun to tease," Veronica mused.

A dark looked flashed into Serena's eyes. "You're damn right it is," her voice was huskier than usual. "Being able to elicit such strong emotions and reactions from the opposite sex is something I have come to live for."

"But it got too far the other night."

The color faded from Serena's face and she came back to her senses, swallowing slowly. "Yeah…Harry and I were home alone," a sad smile came onto her face. "Mom and dad took Dudley to the movies, I stayed behind to make sure – in their words – Harry didn't break anything else in the house," she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Anyway, after I got Harry to bed I got bored…sluggish…so I skipped my meds."

"And," Veronica hummed.

Bright green eyes met hers and an almost twisted smile came onto the young girls face. "I went out cattin."

* * *

'_You know what I am, I've shown you...'_

* * *

_The ceiling was becoming boring, Serena didn't think she could take it any longer. She was lying beside Harry on her bed – he had fallen asleep after their game of cards – and her right foot was bobbing to an unheard tune. She looked down to it, pupils close to dilating and then Serena hurried from the bed. She jogged into her private washroom, scooped up the three bottles sitting on the edge of the counter. She shook three capsules into her hand, one green, one red and the other clear. _

_As she lifted them to her mouth, she stopped, and then lowered her hand, staring at those pills._

'_They'll make you sluggish, sweetheart.'_

_Serena shook her head. "They'll make you go away," she whispered._

'_They'll make you fun. Admit it, you don't want to go to bed yet.'_

_Serena didn't want to go to bed. It was only seven thirty. She didn't want to curl up like she usually did. Serena already had a history of non-compliance, it wouldn't be the first time she had gone off the meds. And she knew the rush that would come with it, she also knew the almost crash it would surely cause._

_But the high was worth it._

_Her hand shook and then she dropped the pills into the sink, setting her bottles on the edge where they had been, and she locked her door from the inside. Her mother and father wouldn't try to get into her room if it was locked. They wouldn't say anything even if Harry was in there. And he wouldn't do anything about it, just go back to bed if he tried to get out, he was far too used to her disappearing and leaving him locked inside her room until she returned. She paused beside him on the bed, reaching out and taking a hold of his hand. She gave it a small squeeze, prayed she would be back and then she opened the windows. _

_It took one second. _

_In one second, she was out the window, paws connecting with concrete and she ran down the street. An animagus, she had learned what she was years ago in the library her parents didn't like her going into. She could change willingly, into whatever creature was designed for her, and it just so happened to be a Persian cat. It gave her so much freedom, of course the book had said that to. Felines represented feminine freedom, and she had figured that out rather quickly. She never felt better than when she was in this form and tried to take it as often as possible._

_Mostly when she was off her meds._

_She paused at the corner, looking left and then right, before she took off across the playground, worming through the bushes and then she was on the edge of the city. Halfway through a thin alley, she was human again. She held onto the right corner of the mouth of the alley, sticking her head out and looking around. She was fifteen, this was something short of illegal, but she didn't care._

_She joined the flow through the streets, walking a block until she got to a pay phone. She dug around in her pockets for the correct change and then dialed a very worn number, getting the machine._

"_It's amazing," she breathed into the phone. "I feel so fucking alive. I think I've nailed it, the reason to why I need these medications. I freaking nailed it," she got a few random looks on the street and then she spotted a pretty face, smiling at a young man probably three or four years older than her. He almost had a beard. He raised an eyebrow at her and smiled, wandering over from a bus stop. "From the looks I'm getting, I think I could get every guy to want me…I already know one woman that passed might want to be me."_

"_Hey there, lil lady," he wasn't British, he was American. Very, very American._

_She smiled slyly, hanging up the pay phone and she looked up at him from under her bangs. "Hi there," she could feel the buzz beginning to hit the back of her eyes. "What's your name?"_

_He smiled a little smoother, lifting his arm up and draping it across her shoulder. Her body was tingling, he didn't understand what he was doing, or maybe he did by the dark look in his eyes. "Tyler, what's yours?"_

"_Serena," she eyed the cigarette pack sliding up out of his shirt pocket. "Where you from?"_

"_Texas, Houston. Where you from?"_

_Serena giggled. She was flying high on euphoria, it was drenching her limbs, horribly thick and it was about to cause her a lot of problems. "I'm from here silly, you lookin to have some fun?"_

"_Wherever I can find it."_

"_Then how bout you give me one of those cigarettes and I can show you the fun places."_

_He grinned and pulled the pack from his pocket, handing it to her. She flipped it open, pulling out a cigarette with her teeth and the lighter that was nestled between the small filtered cancer sticks. She lit the cigarette between her lips, inhaling thickly as she stuffed the lighter back into the pack. She handed off the pack and pulled the cigarette from her lips, trying to see above the heads in her way._

_They walked four blocks before Serena pulled him off to the sides, towards a thin road. They weren't the only ones trying to squeeze through, there was a small group of girls and a man that was shaking profusely. At the end of that thin road was a small pub, lights thumping from the windows and Tyler held the door open for the fifteen year old stranger. She smiled and winked at him, hips swaying a little extra as she climbed up the steps and into the throng of sweaty bodies._

_Her home away from home, her escape, her party place. They danced, they laughed, they even drank a little, and Serena was still ripping and raring to go, even though she was dripping with sweat and it was past midnight. She should be home, she should be tucked in bed, wet from a shower, not here grinding against a grown man. She swayed her hips thickly, rear end brushing strongly against the hard lump in his pants. It sent a horrible trill up her spine. She raised her hands above her head, closing her eyes and swaying the rest of her body, snapping her fingers as his hands landed on both hips, holding her tightly to him._

_Everything was beautiful this way, when she was flying high. She looked up to the ceiling, watched the lights shoot across the ceiling and she smiled, seeing a few beams of light freeze, only to be crossed over with a new beam of light. It was like looking into a Van Gogh painting. She closed her eyes again, leaning back against Tyler's chest. She let him grope her for another moment or two and then she turned around to him, grinning at him as she slid away to the bar. She didn't care if someone had drugged her drink, she was taking that half bit of lager to the door. _

_She pushed her bangs from her forehead, half empty glass of lager clasped in her hand, and she made it out the door. She howled into the night sky, twirling and sending foamy alcohol onto the cracked pavement beneath her sneakers. She laughed and then squeaked as thick arms wrapped around her waist. She turned around, seeing Tyler grinning lopsidedly at her. _

"_Hey there," her alcohol soaked breath wafted across his chest. "Look, this was a lot of fun. Maybe we can do it again tomorrow night?"_

"_Leavin tomorrow," his breath was against her throat. "Let's finish it off."_

"_Whoa ho ho," she chuckled, pushing away from him. "No honey, I'm only fifteen and I have to get home. But like I said this was great, really."_

_She turned to leave, lifting her glass to her lips, but he caught her hand. She jerked to a stop, the glass sliding from her hand and she looked back at him, anger pulsing through her. "Let me go," she tugged her hand, but he wouldn't let go. "Who the bloody hell do you think you ar'?"_

"_I think I'm a man that just got cock teased by a lil bitch that isn't puttin out."_

_Serena didn't feel fear, she could only feel anger. "Let me go!"_

_His face pinched with anger and he took a hold of her shoulders, slamming her into the rough concrete of the building behind her. She screamed and thrashed, but he wasn't letting her go. His right hand kept her pinned as he splayed it flatly against her chest. His left hand went down to her jeans and tried to undo the button. Serena cried out, fear finally beginning to seep into her. He was beyond drunk, she knew that much, but it didn't mean she couldn't blame herself. This was why she didn't go off her meds. It causes her problems, but this didn't happen. This had never happened._

"_S-Stop," she screamed, lifting her right leg and kicking it out._

_He grunted as her foot connecting rather harshly with his thigh but it didn't deter him. He was rock hard, ready to go, and he wasn't paying for a whore. No, he was gonna get the one that started this all. "Fuckin bitch."_

_He backed off her and she slumped down to the ground, hacking up a good stream of bile as he dug in the back of his jeans. He was seeing double, the alcohol making his brain fuzzy, but it made this an ok idea. She looked up through her hair, haggard and tired, and then her eyes widened. She scrambled backwards, back connecting with the wall she was previously flushed against, staring down the barrel of a shiny gun. It wobbled in Tyler's hand, but never strayed from her forehead for too long. He was grinning, it was twisted and scary and almost like the one Serena herself gave on more than one occasion. It was like the one she had when she met him, when she drug him here, when she was grinding against him. She thought she could just do what she wanted with a grown man and not have to deal with any consequences? No, if she wasn't going to pay up, she was going to give him something and with the level of alcohol flying through him, her life would just have to do._

"_Lil bitch," that accent brought some kind of darker tone to this. "Better open that mouth of yours and do what I say or I'll shoot ya…ain't gonna be here after noon anyway. No one'll care."_

_Serena whimpered, almost complying, and then she saw a large shadow come up behind Tyler and the southern man was son thrown to the ground. His gun fell to the ground, sliding up under her and bumping into her hand. She saw a semi-familiar face hovering over Tyler. His name was Nathaniel, he practically lived in the pub. _

"_Mother fucker," Nathaniel seethed. "Think ya can treat a lady like that?"_

_Serena shivered and scrambled to her feet, fingers coiling around the handle of the gun between her legs, and she hurried down the thin road. Her sneakers slapped against the concrete and she collided into a woman covered in a fur coat as she made it past the walls lining her sides. The woman gasped in surprise and then began to scold Serena, but the young woman had already made it to her feet._

_Her lungs worked over time, her muscles in her back and thighs had began to ache two blocks back, but she didn't slow down until she found the alley home. As she was bathed in the shadows of the buildings she collapsed, her knees hitting the mud there as she gulped in air. It stung every time she breathed in, the cold hitting her throat and making it go raw. As she got to a stable-ish state, she pushed herself up onto her legs. They wobbled under her, threatening to give out, and she braced her free hand against a wall, limping towards the playground she could see ahead of her._

_She climbed in through the window as a human, not having the energy to use her animagus. She slid from the sill to the floor, lying on her stomach flatly for a good ten minutes before she huffed it to her feet, walking to her closet. She opened the shutter doors and crouched down, pushing aside her shoes and finding a metal box. She opened it and placed the gun atop a stack of worn photos. She stared at it for a long time, seeing Tyler's initials carved into the side, and then she slammed the box shut._

* * *

Veronica stared at Serena for a long time, silence hanging between the two of them until Serena cleared her throat. "I wish I could change, I'm useless this way."

"No, you are not useless, you are a brilliant young woman and you have Harry."

Serena looked up at Veronica. "You're right, I do have him…you know I'm leaving tomorrow, right?"

Veronica's brow furrowed and she clasped her hands in front of her. "Where are you going?"

Serena reached up and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. "I can't really tell you, but I was told it has to do with my…abilities."

"Animagus," Veronica mused. "How old is Harry now?"

"He's about fourteen now. My parents won't celebrate his birthday so sometimes I forget."

"You said they were cruel to Harry?"

Serena frowned. "Yeah…yeah they were."

Veronica pursed her lips. "Well I hope you will write when you can, I need to keep up with you and _take your medications_."

Serena nodded and stood, bending over slightly to reach across the desk, taking a hold of Veronica's. She smiled gently. "Thank you, for helping me for the past six years. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Let's not think about it," Veronica let go of Serena's hand and stood, walking her out of her office and to the front door. "If you need anything, anything at all, you hurry back here to me. Remember to tell the nurse at your new school about your problem, alright?"

Serena nodded and pushed open the door. "I will write my first night there."

Veronica smiled and nodded, waving the young woman away. Serena jogged down the steps, curling her jacket tighter around her chest and she looked left then right, stopping at the edge of the sidewalk. After a few minutes of silent waiting, a once familiar car slid to a stop in front of her. She stared at the window, waiting for it to roll down and when it did, she bent over, peering inside.

"Hello mother."

Petunia wanted to frown, but she didn't, she didn't smile either, she just popped the locks. "How did it go," she tried.

Serena huffed and opened the door, slumping into the passengers seat. "Same as always, I just told her I was leaving tomorrow."

"She doesn't know where you are going, does she," Petunia asked in a panicky tone, pulling away from the curb.

Serena rolled her eyes. "Why the hell would I tell her something like that?"

Hagrid had come for Serena the night after her little episode. It was a random visit he said, just doing it while he was in the neighborhood but Harry had said that it wasn't just a random visit, Hagrid was never anywhere near London. But neither one of them delved into the matter too far, they were too excited about attending school together. Hagrid had tried to persuade the both of them to leave earlier, but both refused and Hagrid had offered to take care of her school supplies.

But he hadn't taken care of her wand, he said that would have to be something she did on her own so the moment she was off the train, in Hogwarts, she would be escorted to a picking platter for her own wand. She would get to pick an animal too, but she wasn't bothered with that for the moment.

"I really wish you would stay here," Petunia tried again.

Serena glared at the road ahead of them. "Just drive, mother…"


	4. Chapter 4

_I'm of course changing some parts of the movie to fit in my story. Just had to throw that out there._

* * *

Petunia and Serena made it home just as the rain began to pour.

As if the cold wasn't bad enough.

Serena jogged up the driveway, listening to her mother complain about her hair getting wet, and almost slammed into the door. She twisted the knob and it swung open, greeting Serena with a very surprised Harry.

"Almos' hit me in the face," he muttered, peering over her shoulder. "She in a mood?"

Serena shook her head and then shook her coat off, hanging it on the hooks by the door. "No, just aggravated with me," she heard her mother's heels clicking against the concrete behind her. "Let's get into the kitchen."

It smelt heavenly in the kitchen and the living room, the ham cooking in the oven just overwhelming the senses. Serena perched on a bar stool, crossing her legs and she smiled at Harry, who was checking the food. That made her almost frown. He was treated like the maid, but honestly Serena gave them enough trouble, she would just keep quiet for now. She placed her elbow against the countertop, cradling her chin in her hand before she looked over to the couch.

"Hello Dudley," she crooned.

It took him a moment to look away from the television and when he did he smiled. "Hello sis," he blanked out as his eyes connected with the television again.

Serena chuckled and looked back to Harry, just now realizing her mother had made it inside. She was scolding him over the ham. "Look, it's over cooked. Now the edges are gonna be all hard."

"Just don't feed anyone the edges mother," Serena sighed. "It's really very simple."

Petunia pursed her lips and then took in a breath, hands held out at her sides. "You're right," she smiled at her daughter. "You're right," she looked over her shoulder when they heard thumping against the door. "Oh Harry, go get it. Answer the door."

He looked to Serena, almost as if asking for permission, and then she nodded. He jogged out into the foyer while Serena looked to her mother. "Stop being so mean to him," her voice was low.

Petunia stared at her daughter for a long time and then she was distracted by the sound of a panting dog. Serena turned her nose up at her aunt Marge, who came in greeting Petunia jovially. "Oh Petunia, it's been so long," Marge planted a sloppy kiss on the side of her brother's wife. When she saw Serena glaring at her, she grew cautious. "Serena, you're still here."

"Nope," Serena waved a hand. "Just a ghost."

Marge huffed and then smiled at the fat little dog at her heels, laughing and reaching down to rub its cheeks. Serena saw Harry lingering in the doorway and then saw Marge take notice; Serena could almost see the wheels turning with insults in Marge's head. The overweight older woman straightened her waved back.

"Oh, you're still here are ya?"

Harry looked up and then back to her. "Yes."

"Don't say _yes_ in that ungrateful way," Marge passed off the leash of her dog to Petunia, who didn't look very pleased about that. "Good of my brother to take you in like he did," she leaned into Vernon. "It woulda been straight to an orphanage if he landed on my doorstep."

Serena pinched the bridge of her nose, eyeing the clear bottle of cold brandy beside the fridge. She might just have to steal some of that before this night was over.

* * *

Serena stood at Harry's side in the sink, both of them whispering lowly about what it would be like at Hogwarts while Marge and her parents gorged themselves; Serena hadn't eatin anything, same with Harry. She had just taken to keeping her back to everyone while she conned Harry into stealing her a shot glasses worth of brandy. She shouldn't have done such a thing. She could have gotten Harry in a lot of trouble, plus she was too young. But she didn't care about the age thing, she needed something with Marge breathing at her back.

"Oh you want a bit of brandy," Serena looked over at Marge's words, lifting her upper lip in disgust as Marge let the fat roll of a dog just lick from her own glass.

Serena caught Harry's smirk and chuckled a little, turning off the water. She dried her hands and began to put away plastic containers of food while Harry finished spooning things into their proper bowls. She grabbed her last shot glass of brandy and downed it, smacking her lips lightly as she dropped that into the sink. Her meds said do not mix with alcohol, but she didn't give two shits. It made her feel great so it couldn't be that bad, could it?

"What are you smirking at?"

Serena paused in her reveling over the buzz of aged alcohol and looked over, seeing Marge glaring at Harry. Harry shrugged and started scooping up spoonfuls of brussel sprouts. Serena bumped her hip against his, picking up a small handful of the round vegetables and she popped a few into her mouth. Harry smiled at her while she made a funny face.

Serena zoned back in when Marge began to speak, mostly paying attention to Harry, who had a smart mouthed undertone to his words. "O-Oh yeah, I've been beaten loads of times."

Serena coughed, a brussell sprout rolling from her tongue and she had to fight to catch it. She ended up scrambling for it on the floor and Harry chuckled at her, nudging to round thing towards her. She popped back up, giving him a thumbs up. "Thanks mate."

"No problem," he muttered, twisting around and bracing his hands back on the counter. "I can't wait for her to leave."

Serena nodded enthusiastically. "If I didn't know any better, I'd offer you a shot glass," she shook her head. "But that just wouldn't do."

"You mustn't blame yourself for how this one turned out Vernon," Serena's attention flickered to Marge and so did Harry's, his lips dropping. "It's all about the blood, bad blood. What is it the boy's father did Petunia?"

Harry glanced sideways at Serena, who was staring at the countertop. Petunia hesitated. "N-Nothing. He didn't work."

Marge huffed out a mouthful of air. "And a drunk too, no doubt."

Serena saw Harry's fingers curl even tighter around the edge of the counter. "That's a lie," he barked out.

Everyone around the dining table froze, save for Dudley who wasn't paying any attention. His eyes had been glued to the television the entire time they ate and then some. Marge narrowed her eyes at the back of Harry's head.

"What'd you say?"

Harry whipped around. "My dad wasn't a drunk."

Serena jumped as the glass in Marge's hand shattered, sending clear pieces in every direction and brandy to stain the white table cloth. Petunia and Vernon yelped, Marge waving her hand around for a moment as Petunia scrambled to pick up shards of glass, Vernon beginning to wipe the brandy up.

Marge chuckled. "Don't you worry, don't you fuss Petunia," she shook her head. "I have a very _firm _grip."

Serena looked over at Harry, who looked terrified of something. He was backing away from the counter, hands held out at his sides. Serena turned around to him, taking a hold of one of his hands. "Harry, it's ok."

"No it isn't," he whispered.

"I think it's time you went to bed," Vernon urged, more calm than usual.

Marge shook her head, wiping at her shirt. "Quiet Vernon," she looked to Harry. "You, clean it up," she snapped her fingers and pointed down to the table.

Harry hesitated and Serena hesitantly nodded, letting go of his hand. He looked at her and then he glared at the table, bending by the sink to snatch up a worn dish towel. Serena leaned forward onto the counter, watching Harry with intense eyes as he unfolded the towel and approached the table. He was angry. He was so angry it was just _thumping _off of him. As he set to work cleaning the mess Marge had caused, she couldn't keep her mouth shut and began to prattle on about his genes again.

"Actually, it's nothing to do with the father," she leaned forward, as if what she was talking about was important. "It's all to do with the mother," she sneered at Harry as he raked the shards of glass into a small trash bin. "You see it all the time with dogs, if there's something wrong with the bitch then there's something wrong with the pup."

Serena jumped as Harry whipped around again, the dish towel slapping harshly against his thigh. "Shut up! Shut up!"

Marge looked up to him, humming under her breath as she twisted in the chair. Serena's brow furrowed as Harry's hair ruffled and then hers, feeling a thick draft begin to start. She looked to the door, ready to hurry over and close the doors. All they needed was fresh rain on the carpet. She took a step back from the counter, the lights flickering around her and china rattling. Petunia looked back with worry, knowing what was likely to happen but doing nothing to stop it.

Marge cocked an arm up onto the table, pointing a finger upwards. "Now, let me tell you, y…"

Everyone paused as she did, wondering why she stopped and when Serena saw why, she gasped. She covered her mouth with both hands as Marge's finger began to bloat, starting at the tip and working its way downwards. It looked like she was being inflated. Her clothes stretched, ripped and her panty hose tore, a button flying forward and hitting the clock, causing it to start cooing. She called to Vernon as her necklace shattered, telling him to do something but her little roll of a dog began attacking him. Serena watched as Marge began to float and then jogged over to Harry, who was walking towards the door. She took a hold of his arm, trying to get him to turn around and he did eventually. She watched him take off upstairs and then she looked to Dudley, who was back to watching television.

She shook her head at him and followed Harry's path up the stairs, hearing something thump in his room. She stopped at the door, hesitating and then she knocked. After a moment of silence, he answered. "Come in…"

She nodded a little and pushed the door open, seeing him sitting on the edge of his bed. "Oh Harry," she shut the door behind her and walked over to him, sitting on the bed beside him. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze. "If it's any consolation, I thought it was brilliant."

He didn't chuckle, but he did look up at her. "Why would she say such things?"

Serena looked down to the floor, shrugging. "Because she's a mean, hateful bitch," she smiled at him and he gave her a small smile in return. "Harry, don't let her get to you."

He shook his head, looking to the picture at his bedside. It was his parents, hugging in a snowy pavilion beside a waterless waterfall. They looked so happy. "She didn't even know them…"

"You didn't know them either Harry."

"I know them better than she does," Harry looked down at the floor, leaning onto his knees. "You know, you look a lot like her."

Serena smiled a little. "Yeah, mom told me."

"Think mom would want me to stay here?"

"No…no I don't. But it's not like you have a lot of options, Harry."

He looked up, to the window and his face was set in determination. "Yeah, I do."

"Wh-What," she stuttered as he pushed himself up.

He pulled a trunk from under his bed, jaw set back. "We can leave tonight."

"H-Harry, you're talking nonsense," she stood, shuffling against the door.

"No I'm not," he looked up at her from under his bangs. "Go get what you want from your room and then meet me outside, alright?"

She hesitated and then swallowed thickly, nodding. "Alright…"

Serena twisted around and opened the door, sliding out into the hallway. She jogged down the hall to her room, opening the door and then slamming it closed. She grabbed her satchel from the doorknob and began jumping around the room, picking up pieces of jewelry and a few pictures she had set out. Hallway to her bed, she paused, looking to her closet. She could hear it almost, calling her, and she willingly obliged. She pushed open the shutter doors and stared down at the metal box unhidden by shoes. She stared at it for a long time, wondering what she was doing, and then she grabbed it, stuffing it into her bag. She slung the bag over her shoulder, looked around the room, and then she flooded into the hallway, hearing the front door slam. All eyes were on her when she made it down the stairs, Petunia the first to speak.

"Serena, where are you going?"

Serena paused, fingers curled around the door handle. "I'm going with Harry," she stated simply. "I got my meds, I don't care what you do to that room."

"You are not going anywhere with him," Vernon tried with a stern voice.

Serena shook her head. "I am going wherever I damn well please. The way you all treated him tonight was just ridiculous. I can't stand it and he can't go anywhere alone."

"Serena, if you go out that door with him," Her mother pursed her lips, anger surging through her. It was Lily all over again. "If you go out that door, nothing but hell is what will wait you," Petunia side stepped her husband. "You go out that door, don't you bother coming back."

Serena's back hitched in anger and she all but growled at her mother. "I am sure I can find somewhere else to stay."

And Serena Dursley was gone, out the door with a bag slung over her shoulder. She huffed her way down the center of the street, seeing Harry sitting on the curb beside the playground. She froze. Serena was scared. Why, she didn't know, but something told her not to sit at the curb. But she did anyway, plunking down beside Harry and he leaned into her.

"This isn't fair," he muttered.

"Life isn't fair," Serena sighed. "But we have to get used to it, what's the plan?"

He shrugged and sat up straight. "Not real sure…"

Serena sighed, rubbing her hands together in front of her. It was too cold to be doing this, but she understood his need to get out of there. She had the same urges. Air gusted up into her vision and Serena reached up, brushing a strand of hair back from her face. As she looked up, she didn't notice the way the street light flickered over head. She didn't notice Harry calling her name. She didn't notice the wind blowing or the swings creaking behind her.

All Serena could focus on was the large black hound slipping out of the bushes on the other side of the street. Her back hitched in response and she pushed herself to her feet, feeling the familiar tingle of a mutation coming on in her chest. It lunged forward slightly, letting out a few barks of ferocity and Serena hissed at it.

She was brought back from her trance by Harry taking a hold of her arm and pulling her back from the curb. A flash of blue clouded her vision and Serena looked up with wide eyes, meeting those of a pimply man in a shaggy uniform.

"Welcome to the night bus," he muttered unenthusiastically. "Transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan and I will be your conductor for this evening."

Serena stared at him with a dumbfounded expression. "Seriously?"

He folded up the paper he was reading from and nodded, looking rather bored. "A-Yep," his eyes flickered between the two. "What's got ya two so spooked?"

Serena and Harry shared a look and then Harry scrambled for his chest while Serena shook her head. "Nothing…nothing at all."

Was it nothing? It had to have been, because as Serena looked around the end of the bus, she saw nothing but motionless leaves where the hound had once stood. She sighed, brow furrowing and then she helped Harry onto the bus, pushing past Stan as he muttered something beneath his breath. They stepped through a bedded section, Harry looking around in awe as Serena stared at a rocking chandelier overhead. She could see two additional levels above her and she could hear snoring coming from somewhere. She squeaked and lurched forward as the bus started, driven by a man with large glasses Stan called Ernie.

Serena fell backwards onto a bed that was being rocked back and forth, her heart racing and she looked to the window. They were moving at an impossible speed. Harry landed beside her and Serena noticed Stan staring at them curiously.

"What'd you say your names were again?"

Serena rolled her eyes and grabbed a hold of Harry, anchoring him to her side. "We didn't say."

"Where are we taking you anyway?"

Harry spoke up this time. "The Leaky Cauldron," he grunted as he was thrown into Serena again. "That's in London."

Stan snickered a little, looking over his shoulder. "Ya hear that? The Leaky Cauldron is in London."

Serena looked around Stan when she heard a Jamaican voice answer him back; that definitely wasn't the old man driving. "Eh, the Leaky Cauldron. You order the pea soup, you better eat it before it eats you."

It was a shrunken head! That sent a trill through Serena's body. Something wasn't right, she didn't know if she would like the wizarding world if she came across those things too often.

She gave a small squeak of surprise as her head knocked back against the railing of the bed they were sitting on. "Y-You can't slow this thing down?"

Stan shook his head, though Serena's eyes were shut tightly. "Nope, betta this way."

Better? Serena wasn't so sure about that. Her eyes snapped open as they hit the brakes rather abruptly and then she screamed as she was hurled forward. Her skull connected sharply with the plate glass window separating her from the driver and she slid to the floor. Harry was hovering above her in an instant while she was seeing stars. Her head rocked side to side, small groans slipping past her lips as she heard a voice counting down from ten.

"Serena! Are you ok?"

Serena could only groan and that served to agitate her bruised head even more. She let out a few small gasps, trying to stay awake, but she was slipping towards the dark unconscious waiting for her. "Harry," she managed after several attempts at opening her lips.

"What is it?"

She swallowed thickly, closing her eyes. "My bag…"

He didn't understand right away, by the time he did she was already limp and Stan was coming to pick her up. Harry hesitated, grabbing her bag from where it had landed against the wall. He held it against his chest, scrambling up onto the bed at Serena's feet.

"That there was a doosey," Stan muttered, opening up a paper and flushing it out. "Shoulda held on better."

Harry opened his mouth to quip something at him but the words died on his tongue when he got a look at the paper in the conductors hand. There was a man with a shaggy beard, holding a plaque of numbers. He was screaming, he looked bloody mad. Harry looked up then, pursing his lips at Stan.

"Who is that?"

Stan's eyes flickered up and he looked at the back of the paper. He had a strange look on his face when he looked back to Harry. "Who is that? You seriously don't know who that is?"

Harry shook his head, grabbing a hold of the bed frame as they turned another corner. "No."

"That's the mass murderer Sirius Black," Stan shook his head.

Sirius…Black?

Harry opened his mouth to speak again but then he heard Serena groan and clamped his jaw shut. He would have time for questions later, he needed to focus on his injured cousin…for the moment anyway.

* * *

_This did not end how I wanted it to_


	5. Chapter 5

_Let's say Harry and Serena stayed by themselves at the Leaky Cauldron just a little bit longer, huh?_

* * *

_A twelve year old Serena is lying in a hospital bed._

_Her left eye is bandaged tightly, a violet hue is around the edges of the pristine white bandages. Her hands lay flat in front of her and she is staring blankly across to the horribly painted wall just below a black and white television. It is playing an old show, the nurse called it Andy Griffith, but Serena doesn't care. She closes her eyes after a moment and listens to the beep of the machine to her right and then she looks to the door._

_She can hear the voices outside, one belonging to her mother, the other belonging to her father and after some time, she hears the doctors voice come in behind her parents. She didn't need to hear what they were saying. She didn't care. _

_Serena didn't want to think._

_She didn't want to feel._

_She just wanted to sit on this bed in silence._

_Serena had gotten attack on her way home from school. Luckily, Harry had gotten away before they could get to him. They claimed her a freak, they had struck her with rocks, sticks and eventually, fists. And Serena had slipped up. Serena had frozen one of the boys. She didn't mean to, honestly she didn't, but it only took a flick of her wrist for the white frost to come from her hand and hit the boy. He wasn't dead, or so her mother had said, so there was nothing for Serena to feel guilty about anymore._

_She shouldn't have felt guilty in the first place. They had pummeled her with all they had and she ended up with a concussion, a few busted blood vessels and a broken right leg. They didn't know when she would be able to leave the hospital and honestly, she didn't want to. Harry could stay with her and they could be out of Petunia and Vernon's harsh words and glares. He was asleep in the chair to her left now, a blanket laid over him and he was snoring slightly._

_It made Serena smile._

_She looked up to the television for a moment and it took her that moment to realize that it wasn't on. Well, it was on, but everything was all fuzzy, there was no picture, no sound. Her brow furrowed and she reached over to the nurse call button, pressing down on it. When no one arrived per usual, Serena felt her heart give a few thumps. _

_She couldn't hear anything._

_She could hear her mother, she couldn't hear her father, she couldn't hear the chatter of nurses or the buzz of traffic outside the windows. She couldn't hear anything but her heart beat in her ears and Harry's slight snoring. What had happened?_

"_Hello?"_

_Her voice was small and scared, confused. She bit her bottom lip and then went to push herself forward, remembering the broken leg and then she settled back into the pillows behind her. Serena was actually some sort of scared right now. Why couldn't she hear anything?_

_She stared at the door for a long time, listening to the piercing silence and then she heard something rattle. Her whole body tensed, a cold wave flowing over her and she whipped her head to the right. A shadow stood in the corner, tall and faceless with black hair. Her heart continued to race, her breath continued to become ragged in her throat and Serena began to cry. It hurt to cry through her bandaged eye, and that only made her cry even more. _

"_What the hell is going on?"_

"_Language, Ms. Dursley," their voice was slow and thick, not like honey in any sort of way._

_She swallowed thickly but did not try to feign any sort of bravery. Her fists curled around the sheets. "Then who are you?"_

"_A friend."_

_She stared at them. "I don't have friends, but I would need a name."_

"_Friend is all you will get from me."_

_They put emphasis on every word, making each feel so important to her ears. And Serena shivered. Not in fear or anything close to that, it could have almost passed for pleasure if she was so inclined. Her eyes flickered over their form, fear still settled in her gut but it was slowly ebbing away. They weren't there to hurt her, they would have done so already, Serena was certain of it. They weren't like those boys that had done this to her._

"_Fine then," she looked over at Harry. "Friend, what are you?"_

"_An illusion."_

_She looked back to them and they were gone. "Friend?"_

"_I am still here."_

"_Then how come I cannot see you?"_

"_You speak rather well for a twelve year old child."_

_Her cheeks puffed, turning red. "I am not a child," her fists curled tighter in the sheets. "And my mother taught me proper English, grammar is the most important thing in life."_

"_I do not believe that is so."_

"_What would you know about importance? You said so yourself, you are nothing but an illusion I created."_

"_I never said you created me."_

_Another chill down her spine and Serena closed her eyes. "What do you want from me?"_

_There was that silence again, and Serena was tempted to ask if they were the ones that had done this, had all but frozen time, but she bit her tongue and waited for them to answer. "Nothing more than to be…your friend."_

_She stared at the wall they had once stood against and the noises suddenly came flooding back to her. The awful beep of the machines, the hiss of someone running their water next door, her parents obviously non-caring tones just outside the door. She tried to call for Friend again, but they would not answer her. There was too much noise, perhaps. She wondered if she had just witnessed some kind of experience, but doubted it and she smiled, even when the door opened._

* * *

Serena groaned, rolling over on whatever bed she was currently lying on. She reached up and ran the back of her hand across her forehead and then she tried to sit up. As soon as she opened her eyes, everything swam in her vision. She squeezed her eyes shut and groaned. Her head was thumping and the bright light of the sun coming through the window wasn't helping at all. She heard shuffling somewhere to her left and her body tensed up for a moment.

"Thought you were neva gonna wake up."

She smiled a little. "I'm tougher than that, Harry," she tried to open her eyes again, but the sun was continuing to make things difficult. "Think you could close those curtains for me?"

Harry looked over his shoulder at the curtain and then he nodded, but she still had her eyes closed. Harry jumped to his feet and jerked the heavy velvet curtains shut, coughing when dust floated through the air and then he sat back in the chair at Serena's bedside. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Serena cut him off again with a wave of her hand.

"I need my bag, where is it?"

His eyebrows shot into his hair line and he jumped to his feet again, walking over to the fireplace and the table in front of it. His eyes lingered on the growling and fuzzy book waiting for him but didn't linger on it too long. He grabbed Serena's bag from the top of his normal books and hurried back to her side. She smiled at him with her eyes open this time and took the bag from him. Harry watched her dig through the bag for a moment before he hurried off to get her some water.

After she had taken the medication she needed to function normally, Serena sighed and looked to Harry. "What exactly happened last night?"

He opened his mouth and then closed it, brow furrowing. "I-I think we ran away from home."

Serena blinked. "Right," she muttered, looking down at her lap. "We ran away…now where are we going to stay?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm sure we can find somewhere to bed down for awhile. The Weasley's perhaps?"

Serena scrunched her nose. "The Weasley's? That is a strange name."

"And Potter isn't?"

She chuckled and scratched the back of her hand. "Right…I've heard you say that name before."

Harry nodded. "My best friend is a Weasley, Ron?"

Serena nodded, then, wishing she had a face to put with the name. Serena had yet to meet Harry's friends from Hogwarts; she had never been allowed or had never had the time. Serena then began to think of Hogwarts, wondering if they could house them just long enough for them to find a home. She knew they kept the students until summer, just like a school should, but Harry and Serena couldn't possibly go back home. At least, Serena couldn't. Her parents had probably gone bat shit crazy, put a bounty on her head.

"I'm tired, Harry," she muttered.

He stared at her blankly for a moment and then he leaned forward onto the bed. "You feeling alright?"

Serena blinked. "Um…well, sort of. Why," she reached up to touch her face. "Is there something wrong with how I look? Do I look sickly?"

He smiled a little and reached out, pulling her hand from her face. "No, you look fine," he shook his head a little. "You wanna get out of this bed?"

She mulled the thought over in her mind for a moment, tongue in her cheek and then she smiled at him, nodding a little. "Yeah, that sounds nice. I would like to get to know where I am anyway."

Harry grinned at that and then helped her from the bed, letting her lean on him. This was what the two of them were used to, having to help the other when it came to something difficult. Serena was having a difficult time with her own feet right now. Her legs were wobbling and Harry could hear her breath rapid against his right cheek. Serena had always been very fragile, this was no surprise to Harry, no change, no reason to panic. He remembered when she would cough up copious amounts of blood, giving Harry a rare glimpse at a caring side of the Dursleys. No matter what, Serena was their blood-daughter. She was one of the top priorities in the house, Harry being none of them, Serena and Dudley on the top of the list. Hell, the stove was higher on the list than harry.

They paused in the hallway, Serena's eyes widening when she saw a woman slouching down the hallway, a self-sweeping broom at her heels. That was what some people used magic for? She imagined the efficiency, but she would do more amazing things. Create a place she and Harry could be free and safe, somewhere they didn't have to worry about the rest of this world. Or, rather, their old world. The one where they were under her parents control, the one where humans were scum, the one where they were mostly ignorant to the world of magic.

"The Minister is here," Harry muttered. "You need to talk to him, he wanted you to when you woke up."

Serena nodded though Harry had his back to her as he was leading her down the hallway. "Sounds ok to me," she couldn't resist the urge to peer into any of the open rooms they passed and saw self-setting sheets, sliding slippers and free range vacuum cleaners. It was like something from the movies. "Harry, is this world as amazing as I think it is?"

He smiled back at her, stopping in front of a scarred door. "It is," he placed her hand on the door knob and took a step back. "I'll wait out here, I know he's waitin for ya."

Serena's nodded and turned the brass knob, cringing as it squeaked and entered the room. The ceiling was high and pointed, wooden beams shooting through the space and at one end of the room was an intricately designed window taking up most of the curved wall. There was a fireplace to her left and the flames were hot, the edges of the floor scorched from the heat. She looked up fully when she heard a tap and saw a long oak desk, a smiling man seated behind it. He stood and smoothed out his button up, the hat on his head uneven, and he gestured to a chair in front of his desk.

"Would you sit, dear?"

Serena hesitated and then nodded, scuttling to the chair, sitting in it with a placid face, hands folding instinctively in her lap. "I assume you are the Minister? Harry has told me about you."

He smiled a portly smile, cheeks filling like a squirrels as he leaned onto the desk, hands clasped in front of him. "All good I hope."

Serena smiled. "Oh of course, Harry only ever speaks highly of the Ministry and Hogwarts, never has a cruel or out-of-place thing to say."

That seemed to make his ego inflate and Serena congratulated herself on a lie well spoken. "Well then," he leaned back in his chair. "Now that the formality is out of the way, will you be shopping for your school supplies or do you have those already taken care of?"

Serena bowed her head gently. "A man named Hagrid has taken care of everything besides my animal and my wand, he said those were two things I would have to do on my own. I will take care of those things the day before we go to Hogwarts. Is that an expectable time?"

He smiled another cheeky smile. "That is a brilliant time," he sighed deeply. "Ms. Dursley-"

"Please sir, call me Serena," the young woman scowled. "The name belongs to something I no longer belong to and I want to keep it that way. If you do not want to call me by my first name, Ms. Potter would be fine."

He raised a bushy brow at her. "Such a formal way of speaking for such a young lady."

Serena smiled. "Grammar is the most important thing in life."

He smiled again. "That is one of many truths," the Minister stood then, turning to the window. "I have heard a great deal about you, Serena, from more than one source."

"How is that so, I have no ties to the magical world yet, only Harry."

He looked back to her. "That is my source," he chuckled gently. "The boy idolizes you, must bring you up in every other sentence as though it is his duty."

"Harry and I are all we have to each other back home," Serena swallowed thickly. "In fact, we are now officially orphans, we have been forced from our home by unfit living conditions."

The Ministers brow furrowed. "Well that just will not do, I will be sure to find you and the young Mr. Potter a new living space as soon as possible."

Serena smiled fully then. "Thank you, sir."

He bowed his head slightly and then his face grew mutely serious. "I hear you are an animagus."

Serena nodded. "Yes, my form is a feline."

"Do you have any other powers?"

Serena pursed her lips for a moment. "I can occasionally create light without a wand, I have been able to influence a plants growth on several occasions. There have been quite a few incidents since I turned seven but I don't really keep up with most of them."

The Minister nodded and waved a hand at her in understanding as he sat back in his chair. "Well, we will learn _all _of your powers at Hogwarts, until then I want you to simply rest. A family that is familiar with Mr. Potter arrived earlier this morning but it seems that he was too wrapped up in your recovery to greet them. Why don't you two go and socialize?"

Serena smiled. "That sounds lovely, thank you for speaking with me Minister."

His cheeks puffed in joy and he stood, helping her from the chair and towards the door. "You just take care of yourself, Ms. Potter. And I hope you enjoy your time at Hogwarts."

Serena bowed to him gently as he held the door open for her slight frame and Harry was at her side in an instant. "It was a pleasure, Minister."

"Oh, the pleasure was all mine."

She watched the door snap shut and then looked to Harry, who didn't look amused in the slightest. "What?"

He shook his head and they began towards the stairs, the buzz of voices coming louder. "I don't have any warm feelings towards the Minister."

Serena made a scolding gesture towards him before they were approached by a flurry of bright red hair. Serena stumbled back on the stairs a little, almost falling to the sharp edge of a step before a long hand caught hers. She jerked as she was caught, her heart fluttering in her chest, and she saw the most peculiar face hovering above her. Twins, she was being kept by one of a set of twins.

"Well well, George look what we have here," the one holding her hand pulled her to her feet, which landed at the bottom of the stairs so she was flush against his chest. "Seems Harry has a lil girlfriend he neva told us about."

"That'll neva do, Fred," George tsked.

Serena's cheeks flushed and she pushed the one named Fred away from her, smoothing her hands down her front. "Excuse you," she snapped. "But I am not Harry's girlfriend, I am his cousin. And you two could learn a thing or two about manners. "

George's eyebrows shot up for a moment and he leaned into his brother's ear. "Seems she's a feisty one."

"Brilliant," Fred snickered.

Serena looked back at Harry. "Who are they Harry?"

He looked guilty for some reason. "Fred and George Weasley."

Serena cocked her head to the right and looked back to the brothers, who were eyeing her curiously. "You never told me about them, then where is this Ronald I have heard so much about?"

"Ronald," Fred snorted.

"She called him Ronald," George snickered.

"Well," Serena placed her hands on her hips, the fingers digging in deeper than necessary. "Where is he, I would like to meet Harry's best friend."

The twins chuckled and, in complete unison in physical and verbal acts, looked to the right. "Ronald Weasley!"

Serena rolled her eyes and then followed their gaze to a small boy scampering towards them. He cradled a rather large rodent to his chest and, for some reason, Serena felt a sense of familiarity with the vermin he held so close. He stopped in front of his brothers, looking disgruntled but then he saw Harry and his face lit. Then, he noticed Serena and he was instantly curious.

"Who is this, Harry," he took a step closer to her.

Harry jumped down to Serena's side, a strange sense of pride on his face. "This is Serena."

"Oh," Ron mused. "Nice to put a name with a face," he worked his rodent around so that he could hold out his right hand. "My name is Ron, not Ronald."

Serena took his hand, shaking it once before she let it go. "Harry's told me a lot about you," she looked up when a shrill voice called through the room.

"Fred, George, Ronald, to that table now," a pudgy woman with flaming hair jogged over to them. Fred and George did as they were told but Ron stayed behind, staring up at his mother who had frozen upon seeing Serena. Her jaw hung slack for a moment before she looked to her son. "Ronald, who is this young woman?"

"Harry's cousin, Serena, talk to her mom," Ron urged away the rudeness.

She looked up at the young, dark haired young woman with shaky eyes. "I…I'm sorry, I just…" a look of sad nostalgia came across the woman's features as she clasped her hands in front of her. "You look…so much like Lily, Harry's mother, I got scared for a moment that I was seeing an apparition."

Serena waved a hand. "That's alright, I get it all the time."

"Oh, I am so sorry for bringing it up."

"No, no, it is an honor to look like such a loved and talented witch. I couldn't wish to be prettier."

Ron's mother nodded a few times, a worried look on her face, and she gestured to the table her family and a few others were seated at. "Would you…um, would you care to join us? Harry, I believe Arthur wanted to have a word with you about something important."

Serena looked over to Harry and then followed his gaze to a red haired man that was gesturing for Harry to join him in a small, roofed, enclosure on one side of the table. Harry jogged around her without saying a word and, for a moment, Serena felt alone.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hi everyone! So sorry for my absence but I haven't given up on this story. *sigh* long story but I have an update ready I just need to get back to my computer to post and I'm a lil busy with other things right now. More long stpries you don't want to hear.**_

_**Anyway,I will make a very obnoxious point of updating for you guys! Once I post the new chapter, this one will be deleted two days afterwards to wade out confusion.**_


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